In hinges for automotive doors having door-on-door-off capability, the door is fully installed on the vehicle body at one stage of an assembly line and, during such installation, the door and body hinges are adjusted as necessary to achieve a proper fit between the door and the body. Thereafter, the door may be removed from the body to allow for easier installation of body components (i.e., seats, instrument panel, etc.). The door may be trimmed on its own line. The hinges are designed to enable the door to be quickly and easily re-installed in exactly the same position without the need for further adjustment of the door relative to the body.
One known system involves installing a fixed anchor plate on a door flange for a door hinge wherein a pair of oversize bolt holes are drilled in the door hinge web. The hinge is loosely mounted by a pair of shoulder bolts extending through the oversize holes for engagement in an aligned anchor plate and door flange threaded bores. The outboard shoulder bolt includes a net washer assembly having a washer hole sized to provide a close tolerance fit with its bolt shoulder together with a thermosetting adhesive film pre-applied to the mating side of the net washer. Upon the door and the body exterior surfaces being adjustably aligned, the hinge assembly bolts are tightened. Thereafter, the vehicle body is moved through a painting stage wherein the adhesive film is heated to its curing temperature thereby bonding the net washer to the hinge web. The door can then be removed to facilitate a trim operation while the bonded net washer maintains the positional relationship between the door hinge and vehicle door that was established earlier during the door fitting stage.